Arbitration Update: Tuesday, February 3

Today, union and employer representatives met again for arbitration hearings, a process which is being overseen by Arbitrator James Dorsey.

The hearings began at 11 a.m., with lawyers representing the Health Association of Nova Scotia (the employer), NSGEU, CUPE, and Unifor presenting on the employer’s proposed reclassification of a number of jobs into the Clerical unit.

Grant Vaughan, NSGEU’s Health Care Servicing Coordinator, maintained the NSGEU’s position that Health Care classifications should remain in the Health Care bargaining unit. He explained the rationale behind keeping positions within the following categories: Coordination and Program Administration; Education, Promotion & Prevention; Financial Services; Health Records & Library; Projects & Planning; Research & Quality; and Miscellaneous. The rationale considers a number of factors, including historical community of interest and the critical role these workers play in assisting the delivery of direct patient care. CUPE also argued that the vast majority of positions the employer proposed moving out of Health Care into Clerical remain in Health Care, pointing out that employees with a university degree fall within the Health Care unit, and that is a factor that should be considered by Mr. Dorsey. Finally, Unifor again reiterated their position that positions should not be moved into different bargaining units, because this will only add to the overall chaos of the healthcare restructuring process.

We are scheduled to resume hearings tomorrow (Wednesday, February 4th) at 9:30 a.m., and we are scheduled to present arguments on the employer’s proposed reconfiguration of the Health Care bargaining unit. If you are interested in attending the arbitration hearings, they are open to the public (the location is the Quality Inn near the airport, 60 Sky Blvd.) You can also follow along on our live blog: http://nsgeu.ca/bill1arbitrationliveblog/

If you have questions or concerns about the arbitration process, please contact us by calling 902-424-4063 (toll-free 1-877-556-7438) or emailing inquiry@nsgeu.ca